By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria — Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that over the past three weeks, at or near at least 10 bakeries in the Aleppo province were attacked by Syrian bombs and artillery, killing dozens of civilians as they lined up to buy bread.  HRW believes that the attacks were specifically targeting civilians.

“The attacks are at least recklessly indiscriminate and the pattern and number of attacks suggest that government forces have been targeting civilians.  Both reckless indiscriminate attacks and deliberately targeting civilians are war crimes,” HRW said.

One of the deadliest attacks took place in the Qadi Askar neighborhood of Aleppo, where up to 60 peopler were killed and up to 70 people were wounded.  On August 21 a second attack occurred in the Bab Al-Hadid area of Aleppo, where at least 23 people were killed and 30 people were wounded.

“I was standing near the door of the bakery when the bomb hit – I just covered my head with my hands and ran for my life. I ran into a store next door and only there I realized that I was injured – in my side and left arm,” said “Fais,” a civilian who was injured during the attack.  “There was black smoke everywhere, and broken glass.  The bomb hit the corner of the street, and the shrapnel flew straight into the line – everyone still there was either killed or heavily injured.  I saw one guy on the ground without a leg, another without an arm, then a 16-year-old boy whom I knew, Rafat Makik Halak, without a head…  One of my cousins, Ahmed, lost his arm and leg, and died afterwards. My sister, who was also injured, is still in the hospital.”

“Day after day, Aleppo residents line up to get bread for their families, and instead get shrapnel piercing their bodies from government bombs and shells,” said Emergencies Researcher Ole Solvang, who recently visited Aleppo.  “Ten bakery attacks is not random – they show no care for civilians and strongly indicate an attempt to target them,” he added.  Solvang also said that the neighborhoods in which the 10 bakeries came under attack were a place where “no fighting was taking place before or during the attack.”

“Every pilot who deliberately launches a rocket at a bread line of civilians, and every commander who gives such an order, should face justice for their crimes,” Solvang said.

HRW reports that a Free Syrian Army facility located near one of the bakeries remained unharmed.

For further information please see:

The Egyptian Gazette — Syrian Forces Bombed People Queuing for Bread — 30 August 2012

Gulf News — Syrian Army Attacks on Bakeries — 30 August 2012

Human Rights Watch — Syria: Government Attacking Bread Lines — 30 August 2012

Al Jazeera — Deadly Fighting Rages on in Syria’s Aleppo — 11 August 2012